Results 81-100 of 7,620 for speaker:Brendan Smith in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (7 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their child care costs are Child Benefit and the Early Child care Supplement. The latter payment, which is in recognition of the higher child care costs of pre-school children, is the responsibility of my Office, and it alone amounts to expenditure of over €400 million in a full year. These payments are...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (8 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. Correspondence has been received by my Office from this Group which will be responded to shortly. Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (13 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000 — 2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 — 2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The Group in question applied for interim support funding under the NCIP and were declined in September 2007 as their application had...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (13 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 144 together. As the Deputy will be aware, my Office has responsibility for the Early Childcare Supplement (ECS), which is paid in respect of all children under the age of 6 who are qualified for Child Benefit. This payment is administered on behalf of my Office on an agency basis by the Department of Social & Family Affairs, which has provided me...

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (13 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: Youth cafés offer great potential for providing a wide range of developmental, educational and information programmes to young people. The launch of the National Recreation Policy in September this year highlighted Government's commitment to the development of youth cafés. While a number of youth cafés have emerged around the country on an ad hoc basis, funded by a variety of providers,...

Written Answers — Adoption Services: Adoption Services (13 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: My Department is currently working closely with the Parliamentary Draftsman's Office on the drafting of the Adoption Bill, which is a priority within the Government's legislative programme. The issue of an age limit is under consideration and has been discussed as part of a wide consultation process which is informing the drafting process. The Bill will have regard to transitional issues...

Written Answers — Adoption Services: Adoption Services (13 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The legislation governing eligibility to adopt is set out in Section 10 of the Adoption Act 1991. The Adoption Board have introduced guidelines to ensure consistency of approach in determining whether it is satisfied that the particular circumstances of a case meet the requirements of Section 10 (2) so that a sole applicant is eligible to adopt a child. The guidelines provide for a two phase...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (14 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000 — 2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 — 2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children (OMC). Under the EOCP, capital grants up to €50,790 were made available to private childcare providers, up to a maximum of 65% of...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (15 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the Early Childcare Supplement. The latter payment, which is in recognition of the higher childcare costs of pre-school children, is the responsibility of my Office, and it alone amounts to expenditure of over €400m in a full year. These payments are universal and...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (15 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: Following disclosures from An Garda Síochána that the then Midland Health Board had been informed about the incident concerning Mr. Niall McElwee, I asked the HSE to investigate the incident and report to me. The HSE have informed my office that the inquiry is being conducted thoroughly and expeditiously and while the report has not been completed the HSE understand full cooperation has...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (20 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy will be aware that I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. As the EOCP concludes on 31 December 2007, no further capital or staffing grants will be made available under it. The NCIP came into...

Written Answers — Social Partnership: Social Partnership (20 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 234 together. Towards 2016 includes a commitment that a study of the extent to which children undertake inappropriate care roles will be undertaken to establish the extent and degree to which this issue arises and the levels of impact it has on the lives of the children concerned. The Office of the Minister for Children will commission this study in...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (20 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. The Group in question has been approved €18,623 in capital grant assistance under the EOCP to date. They have also been approved a total...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (20 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: Transitional arrangements have been made under which existing Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) staffing grant recipients will continue to be funded at their current levels until 1st July 2008, provided they enter the new Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) by submitting the data required as part of the application process of the new scheme. Therefore I would...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (20 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: Separated children seeking asylum going missing from care is not a phenomenon unique to Ireland. Evidence from other countries indicates this is a substantial problem. The HSE have reported that 53 Unaccompanied Minors/Separated Children Seeking Asylum went missing from care in 2006 with 6 subsequently relocated, and that 27 Unaccompanied Minors/Separated Children Seeking Asylum went...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (21 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58, 66, 88 and 103 together. As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP). The main supports the Government makes available to parents to assist them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the Early Childcare...

Written Answers — Children in Care: Children in Care (21 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: Firstly, I understand that the figures used in the Deputy's question come from the Annual Reports of the Courts Service. I also understand that a reply to question 21560/07 which related to the same matter was recently issued to the Deputy by the HSE. This reply included data relating to the number of Care Orders and Supervision Orders in force in 2004 and 2005 and these figures differed...

Written Answers — UN Conventions: UN Conventions (21 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: The development and implementation of the National Children's Strategy 2000-2010 was the first step in bringing greater coherence to policy making for children and young people. In December 2005, the Government established Office of the Minister for Children (OMC) to support the further implementation of the Strategy with a particular emphasis on the better co-ordination of cross-government...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (21 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), which is co-funded under the EU Social Fund (ESF), targeted support was...

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (21 Nov 2007)

Brendan Smith: As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children. Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP), which is co-funded under the EU Social Fund (ESF), targeted support was...